Introduction
Smoking is the leading preventable cause of illness and premature death in England, responsible for around 74,600 deaths annually, despite a decline in smoking rates over 6 million adults in England still smoke1. Local authorities have been responsible for tobacco control and stop smoking services since 20132 therefore the opportunity lies with the council to create innovative approaches to reduce smoking prevalence, especially in disadvantaged communities.
Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body and is a major contributor to:to cancer (including lung, throat, bladder and cervical cancers); cardiovascular disease; respiratory illness; poor mental health and wellbeing; and complications in pregnancy (such as miscarriage, stillbirth and low birth weight)1.
Second-hand smoke also poses serious risks, especially to children and pregnant women. People with mental health conditions are disproportionately affected, with smoking rates significantly higher among this group1.
The annual cost of smoking in England is £42.7 billion which includes: £27.6 billion in lost productivity due to illness and early death; £1.82 billion in NHS costs’ £13.9 billion in social care costs to local authorities; and £332 million in fire-related costs3.
The overall trend of Smoking prevalence in England has declined steadily since 2015, from 16.5% to 11.6% in 2023 (latest available data) 1. This 5.3 percentage point drop over 8 years aligns with the UK Government ambition for a smokefree England by 2030. England figures show the highest prevalence of smoking is within the 25-34 year age group (14.0%), by gender prevalence is highest in males (13.4%), by socioeconomic status prevalence is highest in those within routine and manual occupations (19.5%) and those with no qualifications (27.4%)4.
In 2023, approximately 5.1 million adults aged 16 years and over (9.8%) currently use an e-cigarette daily or occasionally within Great Britain. E-cigarette use was highest among 16 to 24 year-olds with 15.8% of the group using an e-cigarette daily or occasionally4.
Other JSNA topics this topic closely linked to:
- Cancer
- End of Life Care
- Infant Mortality
- Oral Health
- Respiratory Disease
- Stroke & Cardiovascular Disease